Transparency Archives – Page 16 of 16 – Stephen Andrew Kickstart Queensland

THE Liberal National Party is shedding crocodile tears over a vehicle registration hike that is less than the ones they voted for and the same as the policy they put forward when criticising them. The Queensland Labor government last week increased registration fees by 1.8 per cent, sparking outbursts from the LNP in the media about slugging pandemic-hit families with extra costs.

The fact is the LNP, in 2017, not only voted for the budget that set even larger hikes in motion but announced their policy would be to lift registration fees in line with the consumer price index. Personally, I think fees should be reduced and I will argue and vote for a reduction. But the LNP is criticising Labor’s hike of 1.8 % when the consumer price index is 1.8%. According to the LNP’s own plan for government, they would be introducing the very same rego hike they are complaining about now.

It’s clear the LNP was all about politics and their vote in the 2017 State budget was proof of that. In one of the most bizarre votes you will ever see in parliament, the LNP voted against the budget because they thought the cross bench would vote for it and the budget would be passed. But the One Nation and Katter Party representatives voted against the budget, which would have meant the budget failed to pass parliament. In a messy couple of minutes, the LNP changed their vote from a “no” to a “yes” so the budget could be passed. The truth is they wanted the budget to pass but also wanted to play a political game where they could say they opposed the budget, including items like the increase to registration fees.

You either support something or you don’t and your vote should reflect that, as it did for the One Nation representative at the time (Steve Dixon). The major parties are all about playing political games and have forgotten the people they are supposed to represent. One of the great things about representing One Nation in the Queensland parliament is that I have licence to represent the views and opinions of the people of North and Central Queensland. There is no pressure to play politics and that’s the way democracy is supposed to work.

Both major parties suffer from branch stacking and it’s always the innocent electors suffer from it. In events across the nation this week, both major parties were involved in controversies over their party machines.

In Victoria, the ALP Premier Dan Andrews sacked one minister over “industrial scale” branch stacking. Another two ministers resigned in disgrace, and the State branch of the ALP had to be taken over by its federal executive. In NSW, one ALP member of State parliament has resigned, also over branch stacking.

In Queensland, a 2010 scandal over branch stacking led to one ALP Member being sacked, and others reprimanded. One member involved later became principal advisor to Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, and is now a highly-paid consultant to her.

And the LNP is mired in controversy over its backroom State President’s involvement in trying to oust Parliamentary Leader Deb Frecklington, while employed by Palmer United Australia Party leader, Clive Palmer.

When an unrepresentative rump of power-hungry manipulators sideline their parties into doing things, it takes all power away from the people and concentrates that power into the hands of a couple of elitists with the right connections.

That is far from democracy and the more Australia’s major parties enable and tolerate such behaviour, the further we drift away from being a democratic country.

LNP cry crocodile tears on rego hike

Branch stacking kills democracy